Worcester man donates 200th pint of blood

In a down economy, the name of the holiday game is finding creative and economical ways to give meaningful gifts. The Red Cross might have the perfect idea.

“Why not give the gift of life?” asked American Red Cross of Central and Western Massachusetts Regional Chief Executive Officer Lisa Piehler, who has a clear perspective on the fact that the blood collected by the Red Cross saves lives.

“But even more than giving someone life, what better way to honor somebody than to let them know that you gave blood in their name? Do it in honor of someone you love, and send a card letting them know. It's a perfect gift, all around,” she said.

Millions of people give that perfect gift all year round, and while the local Chapter of the Red Cross is meeting its donation needs and is grateful to have a “strong supply,” according to Director of Communications Donna Morrissey, now is a good time to remind people that blood has a shelf life of 42 days and therefore has a constant need to be replenished.

“We are always looking for people who are willing to make blood donation a part of their routine,” she added.

George Busada, 88, of Worcester is one of those people. Since 1961 when he first decided to donate, the former Telegram & Gazette employee has been visiting his favorite donation site at Plantation Street off and on throughout the years and most recently donated his 200th point of blood.

When you consider the potential of that single pint of blood — the typical “take” during a standard donor visit, the effort is nothing short of Herculean. Viable blood can mean the difference between life and death for the recipient.

“They told me every pint of blood helps three people,” Mr. Busada said. “Which is nice but I guess it's not that important. To me it doesn't matter how many people are helped, it's just the fact that I am helping someone at all.”

But when looking to inspire people to donate, Ms. Morrissey tries to get them to imagine the end of the story.

“You just never know when a woman will need blood during childbirth, or when it will be necessary for a cancer treatment, or when there are multiple injuries during a car accident where blood is crucial,” she said. “I always try to get people to think about the patients among us, and know that it could very be our own loved ones in that position of need.”